Abstract
The distribution of labeled linoleic acid which had been injected into the mother was followed in the rat fetus by total body autoradiography and thin-layer chromatography. Linoleic acid crossed the placenta and was found mainly in the brown fat in the form of triglycerides and in the lumen of the small intestine in the form of free fatty acids. Radioactivity was found also in the phospholipid fraction in all tissues tested.